Leg cramps from hell...

Sunday, May 22, 2011

It was stinking hot when I went out to do some landscaping. Holly had been asking me to quarter and dig up four of our oriental grasses, but I was waiting for the perfect time…the time when she’d forget.

I tried to kill those things the last time she asked me to divide them up…but they’re indestructable. They get so thick at the base because each year new grasses sprout between last year’s dead ones…which I cut down in the spring…and they reach a point where it’s quite difficult to dig them up. I take a large cross cut saw and quarter the plant…kind of like you’d quarter a pie (what’s the point of making a pie more than four pieces – they’re not a manly size if you do) cutting down through the middle and into the dirt. Then I grab my shovel and dig under until I’m sweating and cursing up a storm…as I was on this day. I got them done and Holly came out to help decide where we should put the parts I’d dug up. “How about I just move them to the tree lawn for garbage day?” I was loaded with good ideas. She suggested we dump them on a neighbor we didn’t like too much, but she’s always cooking food and bringing it over…so that was out. We walked the yard and came to the conclusion that we already had too many things growing out of control and what would be the point of adding another six or eight…or any.

On the off chance my neighbor would want them, I walked over and asked. “Oh…that would be great, John. You guys are so thoughtful,” she said. And she’s right. “How bout I grab the wheelbarrow and drag the suckers over here right now?” My generosity was overflowing. Actually, I’d palmed them off on her the last time I’d done this…and she really likes them. I suppose they are pretty neat…and they cost a bundle…so free is good.

That task behind me, I headed out on the bike. I was planning to do the ride John and I had done the day before because I thought it was a challenging, quiet (few cars) course. I was riding comfortably when I reached the first climb in Waite Hill. As I rose out of the saddle to climb, both of my quadriceps began to spasm and cramp. I immediately retuned to the saddle and reduced the gear for easier peddling, but it wasn’t helping. The cramping became so bad on the next hill that I thought…for the first time in my life…I was going to have to dismount my bike and walk up a hill. The other option was letting the cramps completely take over which would cause my thigh muscles to stop firing, pitching me forward, and off, the bike. It was an easy decision…I continued to ride. If I crashed…I crashed. At least I wouldn’t be giving in to the hill…and my crazy, spasmodic legs.

I crested the hill still on the bike, but I was 45 minutes from home. It was either ride through this hell or call Holly to pick me up. She was preparing dinner for company and asking her to come out and get me because I had some leg cramps could put me at risk of going through another kind of hell, so I stayed with the bike and rode slowly.

At no point did things improve and I must admit that after 45 years of long distance riding, I’ve never had this happen. I started considering what I’d done that could have led to the cramping and decided it was likely a result of the combination of sweat and electrolytes I’d lost over the past two days. When I finally arrived back in my driveway and dismounted, I immediately pulled out the phone and called Bob the Nutritionist…he’d know. I described the situation and included the fact that my calf muscles had been twitching non-stop for the previous 24 hours.

“Magnesium,” he said. Now…I’d suggested potassium and sodium…I scrape a pound of crusted salt from my body every time I ride and I’m not putting nearly as much back since I began following the Paleo diet. “Nope…its magnesium. You lose it in your sweat and since no one sweats like you, I think you might want to supplement. He’s never steered my wrong before, so I grabbed a bottle from the grocery store when I went to get the Italian bread for our spaghetti dinner and popped a pill. We’ll see….

Bike duration: 80 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1000.